gr00009 Ramsey County: Lake Owasso Children's Home An Inventory of Its Records at the Minnesota Historical Society Finding aid prepared by Cheri Thies. Minnesota Historical Society
St. Paul, MN.

Government Records

 Finding aid encoded by Cheri Thies,October 2009. Finding aid written in English. OVERVIEW Minnesota Historical Society Lake Owasso Children's Home. Records. 1914-1991. Materials in English. Records of this facility established in 1910 as the Cuenca Hospital for the Care of Tuberculosis and renamed the Children's Preventorium of Ramsey County in 1919. Children exposed to tuberculosis in their homes were removed to the healthy environment of the preventorium in hopes of preventing them contracting the disease. The preventorium closed in 1953 but reopened in 1955 as the Lake Owasso Children's Home, a facility for mentally handicapped children. In 1979, it was renamed the Lake Owasso Residence, a home for mentally handicapped young adults. 1.1 cu. ft. (2 boxes; 1 partial box). See Detailed Description for shelf locations. SCOPE AND CONTENTS

The records include written histories (ca. 1990, ca. 1993), population movement reports (1955-1957), photographs of the residents and facility (1923-1955), and a scrapbook (1916-1950) and photographic history (1914-1991) of the home.

 CATALOG HEADINGS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics: Children with mental disabilities -- Institutional care -- Minnesota -- Registers. Tuberculosis in children -- Minnesota -- Ramsey County -- Photographs. Tuberculosis -- Minnesota -- Ramsey County -- Prevention. Organizations: Children's Preventorium of Ramsey County. Document Types: Photographs. Functions: Admitting. Discharging. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Lake Owasso Children's Home. Records. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number(s): 991-219; 2008-64

 Processing Information:

Catalog ID number: 001725875

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION 102.J.3.9B Histories, ca. 1900, ca. 1993. Historical essay, Del Meath, ca. 1990. Chronological history, 1910-1993, ca. 1993. Population movement reports, December 1955-1957. 2 folders. Photographs, undated, 1923-1955.

Black and white.

 Buildings and grounds, undated. Children participating in various activities, undated, 1936-1953. 3 folders. Christmas Seal Campaign, 1933-1955.

Includes an undated photograph of the December 2, 1908 Anti-Tuberculosis Tag Day Announcement.

 Preventorium staff and adults, undated, 1932-1950. 112.D.2.2F-2 Children singing, undated. 1 oversize item. Preventorium children and staff posed outside of building, 1923. 1 oversize item. 126.C.2.4 Children climbing in tree, undated. 1 oversize item in folder. 112.D.2.2F-2 Lake Owasso Preventorium scrapbook, 1916-1950. 152 pages.

Disassembled pages; include newspaper clippings detailing the children’s activities (mainly outdoors), visitors, preventorium buildings, Community Chest Campaign, supporters of the preventorium and anti-tuberculosis work, and the Ramsey County Public Health Association Christmas Seal campaign. Also obituaries of founders, staff, board members and trustees; the 1922 Thirteenth Annual Commencement Program of the Public Schools of Ramsey County; donation and pledge cards; and clippings and correspondence detailing the 1927 fire and building destruction and fund raising and rebuilding.

Book of Preventorium and Lake Owasso Children’s Home History, 1914-1991. 1 volume.

Photocopies of photographs of the children in their daily activities; staff and reunion pictures, many unlabeled; interviews with staff; and admission ledger of 1035 children admitted between 1915 and 1953. The latter, arranged by date of admission, includes their name, address, county, date of admission, birthplace, birth date, age upon admission, date of discharge and number of hospital days.